City talks more about land bank, blighted properties

Matt Widner talked to Oak Ridge City Council about the city’s land bank program during a recent work session.

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By Beverly Majors/Staff

Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

By Beverly Majors/Staff

Posted Jul. 9, 2013 at 5:54 PM
Updated Jul 9, 2013 at 5:55 PM

By Beverly Majors/Staff

Posted Jul. 9, 2013 at 5:54 PM
Updated Jul 9, 2013 at 5:55 PM

Matt Widner talked to Oak Ridge City Council about the city’s land bank program during a recent work session.

The city established the land bank program as part of the “Not in Our City” campaign to clean up blighted properties. The land bank program is designed to reclaim unused, vacant, and/or undesirable land for potential housing opportunities or public use.

Last year, the state Legislature passed Public Chapter 1096 to create the Tennessee Local Land Bank Pilot Program, choosing the city of Oak Ridge as the pilot project’s “guinea pig.”

City Manager Mark Watson said the land bank program is a tool to assist the city in obtaining houses and land. He said an earlier grant helped the redevelopment of the Highland View neighborhood, but the grant was limited to Highland View.

With the ‘Not in Our City’ initiative, the city now has found homes in several neighborhoods needing help, Watson said.

“The Legislature has given us three years” to develop the program,” he said. The city manager said the city has developed two strategies for the program, use the land bank activity to promote development and redevelopment and to use principal components to enhance neighborhoods.

“It could serve as a development tool to encourage the private sector to create an attraction for new homeowners,” he said.

Widner, the city’s housing remediation specialist, gave Council members a “quick snapshot” of housing vacancies and some of the work the city has done in the past year, including the acquisition of blighted properties that have been demolished and are now ready for redevelopment.

Widner talked about land banks in other cities in other states and how their programs work, specifically noting the program of Genesee, Mich.

If Oak Ridge is to begin the land bank corporation, the city must first apply for 5013(c) status, define goals, establish a board of directors, adopt a land bank seal, and complete other startup requirements.

“I like the overall goals,” said Mayor Tom Beehan. “The sooner we get this moving, the better off we’ll be as a community.”

Several Council members addressed concerns with the program, including the issue of small lots and how to partner with developers, real estate agencies, credit unions and banks.

Talking about the city’s cemesto houses, or alphabet homes, member Chuck Hope said “the key could be rehab. Some of these homes have very good bones.”

Council member David Mosby said he didn’t want the land bank to “be a reward for property owners” who have not maintained their property. He said the city should approach the program “ in small steps” and he didn’t want the city to compete with real estate companies.